If you find her.
The snowy woods were lit only by the white light of a full moon. David focused on the sounds of his footfalls crunching on the compact snow, straining to hear signs of any other person in the woods with him. Katy had told him multiple times that this was the place she loved most about the palace, the place that brought her the most comfort, which had given him the impression that she might come here in times of distress. And the past hour had definitely been distressing.
David stopped and listened again. He could hear the faint sounds of voices coming from the direction of the palace. A few times, he had heard the creaking sound of tree boughs settling under heavy loads of snow. Once he’d thought he heard an animal running away in the underbrush beside him. But there was no sign of Katy.
I can’t wait to get back to Cambridge, away from all of this unnecessary pomp. I can’t wait until I can have the opportunity to just be alone with Katy again, without any of the pretense. But, David realized, Katy might not even have any plans of returning to Harvard. And that thought terrified him.
A twig snapped behind David, and he turned to look at the path behind him. There was no one there. It was probably more snow settling after the day’s scattered flurries, as the nighttime temperatures solidified the powder into hard masses of ice. David sighed. Maybe he’d been wrong to come out here to look for Katy. She was probably inside the warm palace, perhaps already making arrangements to move out of Cambridge or transfer universities, and then here he was, all alone out in the cold, walking through the woods, the only person at the estate who clearly didn’t belong.
“What am I doing here?” he said aloud, voicing his frustration and confusion. But before he could turn back to the palace, a voice replied.
“David?”
He spun around in the direction of the voice, and his breath caught at the beautiful sight before his eyes. Standing mere yards away, between two snow-heavy pine trees, in the soft light of the winter moon, was Katy. And, for the first time since they’d arrived in Lorria, she looked like herself—like the Katy he knew, wearing jeans instead of a ballgown, her hair done up elegantly but simply, no crowd of admirers following her and no crown on her head. David’s heart ballooned.
“Katy.”
He felt like he was frozen where he stood, simultaneously excited and terrified to speak further. He knew what he had to say to Katy. It had taken him long enough to get to it already! And he knew that there was a very good chance that it would all be in vain.
Still, he had to give it a shot.
“David,” Katy started, stepping forward.
“Wait,” he interjected. He had to get this out first, or else he might never say it. And he couldn’t risk never telling Katy how he really felt. “Katy, I have to tell you something.”
Katy stood still again, her eyes never leaving his face. He took a deep breath and began crossing the space between them.
“Katy, I know that you have a lot of duties as a princess. I know that royals have . . . responsibilities.”
Already he felt himself growing flustered, unsure of how to say what he needed to say. He ran out of words and stood there, embarrassed, casting about for more. But Katy stood patient, graciously still, allowing him to find the courage to continue.
“I know you have a lot of choices to make, too. And that some of the choices you could make might appear to be best for all involved. Like staying here in Lorria. Or marrying some duke.”
David took a few steps toward Katy.
“And I need you to know that I support any decision you make, even if it’s not one that I agree with. But I have to tell you. I don’t think you should let what your parents said at dinner derail your hopes and dreams. I don’t think you should plan the rest of your life based on what they want from you. And . . . well, I don’t think you should marry some guy that you don’t love just because you think it’s best for your country.”
David was so close to Katy now that he could see the moonlight reflecting back from her eyes. His gaze moved across her face, trailed down to her soft, full lips.
“Because . . . well, because . . .”
David couldn’t finish the statement. He didn’t know how to say this. All he could think to do was show Katy what he meant.
He took the last step forward, closer to her than he had ever been before, close enough that he was brushing her body, her soft, slender torso molding to his. Katy didn’t step back. Instead, she stared up in surprise and breathless anticipation.
David took a deep breath and reached to touch her face, his other arm winding around to cradle the small of her back. He traced his hand over her cheek, then up, threading through her soft hair and following the curve of her loose up-do to the back of her head. Almost involuntarily, his arm tightened around her waist, wanting, needing to hold her closer.
He heard her soft gasp, felt her arms limp at her sides, but her eyes never looked away from his; her body gave him no resistance, pressing to his chest, removing all space between them, leaning up until David’s face was only inches from hers.
And then David did what he had wanted to do since he met Katy. He did what he had thought about since back when she was just Window Girl. He did what he had wanted to do a thousand times in New York City, drama club, and Katy’s room.
Heart beating wildly in his chest, he tipped Katy’s head up and pressed his lips against hers.
Katy’s eyes remained wide and surprised for just a moment as their lips touched. Would she pull away? Push him off? Tell him that he’d gotten the wrong impression about everything? But as David gazed into them, they softly closed. And then Katy’s lips parted as she melted into the kiss, her hands reaching up to touch David’s face. He pulled her even closer, a surge of warmth blossoming inside of him in the dark, snowy woods of Lorria.
43
Katy
This is it. This is what you’ve been waiting for, almost since you met him.
Katy closed her eyes, feeling herself uncontrollably drawn into David’s embrace, her lips parting against his without conscious thought. Had David not been holding her up, her knees might very well have betrayed her and let her drop to the snow below. And had Katy been able to think at that moment, she might’ve found it funny that David had been trying to tell her how he felt just as she’d been preparing to confess her feelings to him.
But Katy couldn’t think. Her mind was filled with fireworks and swirling colors, sparks of electricity and pulsating heat. She was lost in David’s arms, the firm pressure of his hands drawing her close to him. She could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest as he pressed against her, reassuring her that she wasn’t the only one whose pulse was racing. She dug her fingers into his hair and felt the cold wetness of the tiny snowflakes sinking into his soft locks. All around them, snow was still sifting down through the trees, but the cold couldn’t touch her: Katy was aflame with desire.
When he finally pulled away, he stared at her, his face almost anxious, his breath sharp, as though waiting for her to speak. But words had escaped her entirely. So, in response, she did the only thing she could think of: she pulled David close again and kissed him once more, trying to put all the heat burning up her core into her lips, her tongue, moving against his.
Hopefully he can read between the lines.
After countless long, warm seconds out in the snow, she pulled away again—her hands retreating from David’s dark curls, her lips tingling with sensation—and stared up into his eyes, her breathing still uneven.
“Let’s go home,” she said. When David furrowed his brow in confusion, she clarified. “To Cambridge.”
“Katy,” David started, his voice awestruck, “are you sure? What about—”
“We’ll figure it out later,” she interrupted. “For now, I just want to take the leap.”
Deliberately, she reached down and took David’s hand, intertwining her fingers with his, wanting to be as close to him as possible. Then she turned to head back towar
d the palace, her mind sprinting ahead with the preparations that needed to be made. David needed to pack his things, and Katy needed to double check whether Cassie was coming with them or not.
They walked quietly through the snow and moonlight, their hands warm and comfortable, clasped together, and Katy thought about what this all meant. She and David were together now, in every sense of the word. They were leaving Lorria together to go back to Cambridge to be together. After the disastrous start to the evening, Katy was actually quite pleased with how things were working out.
She glanced over at David a few times as they walked. He had an unwavering smile on his face, which made Katy smile as well. He seemed happy with his choice.
But as they approached the palace—with its long line of valeted Maseratis, Ferraris, Bentleys, and Rolls Royces—Katy’s calm, contented feeling began to dissipate. She still had to get out of Lorria. And now she was facing the prospect of fending for herself for once, which, she hated to admit, terrified her. She didn’t know how to do it without money, and she was going to have to learn through a trial by fire.
Even if it meant calling in some personal favors.
Katy and David began to walk up the stone steps to the side of the circle driveway. David’s hand squeezed hers as they got closer to the door.
“Do you need help packing anything else?” he asked thoughtfully.
“No,” Katy replied. “But you need to go pack. You do that, and I’ll make the flight arrangements.”
Katy had friends with private jets, perhaps at least one of whom would be willing to grant her a very expensive favor. It was her only option. If her parents were cutting her off, that meant she couldn’t pay for airfare. Actually, she couldn’t pay for much of anything. Her credit cards were completely funded by the king and queen.
Katy kept her head up as she passed through the palace doors and into the entryway, no longer afraid or embarrassed to be seen by the first guests to leave for the evening. She could feel their curious stares on her; she simply didn’t care. She had made her choice, traditions and etiquette be damned. When they got to the stairs, Katy stopped and released David’s hand.
“Go pack,” she said. “I’ll handle the rest.”
She turned to walk away, but David reached out to gently grab her arm.
“Katy, are you sure? I’m not afraid to stand up for you if I need to, even against a king or queen. What if your parents try to stop you?”
“It’d take an army,” she replied, her voice strong and steady. “I’ll be all right. I just need to find Cassie and then call for the travel arrangements. You focus on packing.”
David released Katy’s arm and nodded slowly. Gazing at his concerned face, all she really wanted to do in that moment was grab his cheeks and kiss him again. But instead she turned and continued down the corridor beneath the stairs to the ballroom, passing more guests as she went. There would be time for that later.
It looked like more than a few of the celebrants were leaving early that evening, probably because the guest of honor had disappeared. Katy could only imagine her parents’ embarrassment.
She found Cassie just walking out of the ballroom as she approached, which elicited a sigh of relief. She was hoping she wouldn’t have to risk another confrontation with the king and queen.
“Katy, what’s going on?” Cassie asked. “You ran off on me earlier.”
“I’m leaving. Now,” Katy replied. “Are you coming or not?”
“Yes, of course I am! But—”
“I’m about to call around to see if we can borrow a jet to get back to the States,” Katy said.
Cassie’s eyes bulged. She must’ve caught on to Katy’s financial predicament. “Don’t worry about that,” Cassie said, shaking her head as if to clear it. “I can put a few red-eye flights on my credit card instead.”
A public airport. Katy wasn’t looking forward to that. Leaving Lorria with dyed hair and a boy, on anything other than a private jet, was going to cause a tabloid circus if she was spotted. But what choice did she have?
“Katy, what about your parents?” Cassie asked nervously. Katy couldn’t blame her cousin. The king and queen weren’t people you disobeyed lightly.
“I’ll tell you about our conversation later. But suffice it to say, it didn’t go well.” Katy sighed deeply. “But it’ll be okay. Just go get packed so we can get out of here, okay?”
Cassie nodded. She’d already started for her room when Katy thought of one last thing she wanted to say.
“Cassie!”
Her cousin turned and faced Katy from a few steps away in the corridor, her blonde curls shining underneath a small tiara.
“I just wanted to tell you thanks. For always being there. And for everything,” Katy went on. Cassie had really been a rock for the last few months. Even now, she was willing to start all over again with Katy. Even after I “stole” David from her. What did I ever do to deserve a friend like that?
Cassie winked. “It’s what friends do.” Then she turned, her curls bouncing, and headed quickly down the corridor to the stairs.
Katy watched her go. Now what? Cassie and David were packing their things to leave, but Katy was already all packed up. And she certainly had no intention of rejoining her party. Maybe she could help her cousin pack, since Cassie probably had much more to do than David. Then they could set up the flights and transportation together.
Katy began to follow her cousin back toward the stairs. But before she could get too far, she was stopped.
“Princess Katerina.”
Katy turned to see Esmé, the elderly housemaid who had assisted in raising the queen as a child. She was kind and fiercely loyal, and Katy loved her like family. Her heart clenched as she realized that she wasn’t only losing the king and queen’s money. Katy was also losing beloved people, including possibly her own parents.
“Esmé,” Katy answered.
“Princess, your mother and father are requesting you. They’re awaiting you in the king’s study.”
Katy shook her head. “Esmé, I’m leaving. I’ve spoken my piece with them. I’m sorry.” She turned to leave.
“Forgive me, Princess,” Esmé went on. “But the queen assumed you’d say as much. She asked me to assure you that they merely wish to be able to say goodbye.”
Katy sighed. Truthfully, she didn’t want to leave on a bad note. She wanted to be able to tell her parents goodbye as well. But she had her doubts. How could her mother have gone from cutting her off to wanting to bid her farewell so quickly? Was this a trap to talk Katy out of her plan? The king and queen had a way of making Katy feel guilty so she’d bow to their will. Katy didn’t want to risk that happening just when she was finally feeling secure in her choices.
Then again, they are your parents . . .
Katy nodded at Esmé. She would stay strong in her convictions but say goodbye. It seemed like the mature thing to do.
Reluctantly, she set off down the corridor that led to the parlor. Hopefully she could get this unpleasant conversation out of the way so that she could return to David and Cassie and get on their way back to Cambridge. And no matter what her parents had to say, nothing would keep her from making it back.
She made her way to the king’s study quickly, thankful to avoid being drawn into any questioning conversation with guests on their way out. It looked like many people were leaving now, trailing silken trains and mink stoles, heading out to their fancy cars to go back to living their fancy lives. Katy felt estranged from them now, knowing that she was no longer hovering over the security net that her parents’ wealth and status had long afforded her. While these people were all going back to the lives that they knew, Katy felt like she would be stepping into completely unknown territory for the first time.
The door was closed, and Katy delivered her mother’s signature three short raps to announce her presence.
“Come in,” she heard her father’s voice call out. She couldn’t read any emotion in it.
Katy stepped into the richly decorated study and found her parents both standing at the head of the king’s stately mahogany desk. She swallowed hard, feeling like a small child who had disappointed her parents.
Katy cleared her throat and tried to muster her courage. Let’s get this over with. But before she could open her mouth, the king spoke first.
“Katerina, we’re sorry.”
Katy stood frozen, unsure how to respond. Sorry? She couldn’t recall the last time her parents had admitted fault. She didn’t know how to process it.
“Yes, dear. We were wrong,” the queen added.
“Um,” Katy started. What was she supposed to say? She had never been in this situation before. The king and queen were always right, even when they weren’t—so she’d never been taught how to forgive them.
“Obviously, you are an adult, and you get to make your own choices. And if those choices include Harvard and waiting to marry, then we have to respect that,” the king said.
“And we will respect that. The most important thing to us is that we don’t damage our relationship with you. We always want you to be able to come here and visit,” the queen interjected. “And when you’re ready, we hope you’ll come back to stay someday.”
“But only when you’re ready,” the king added. “And until then, you have our support. Both emotionally and financially.”
Katy stood dumbly. It was hard for the news to sink in. They were encouraging her to . . . make her own choices? To go back to Harvard and only move back when she was ready? She couldn’t believe it. It was everything that she had ever wanted, all her life, and it was really happening?
Tears collected in the corners of Katy’s eyes. They were happy, grateful, loving tears. And as they started to fall, she rushed toward her parents with her arms outstretched. When she reached them, she wrapped them both in a boisterous, very unprincess-like hug.
A Love that Endures Page 39